The Potential of Interactive Media and Their Relevance in the Education Process Dorota Siemieniecka * Wioletta Kwiatkowska** Kamila Majewska **** 1 Małgorzata Skibińska **** 1 * Assoc. Prof., PhD, Vice Dean of Faculty of Education, Chair of Disability Studies, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Lwowska Str. 1, 87-100 Torun, Poland e-mail: [email protected] ** Assist. Prof. PhD, Chair of Didactics and Media in Education, Faculty of Education, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Lwowska Str. 1. , 87-100 Torun, Poland e-mail: [email protected] *** Assist. Prof. PhD, Chair of Didactics and Media in Education, Faculty of Education, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Lwowska Str. 1. , 87-100 Torun, Poland e-mail: [email protected] **** Assist Prof. PhD, Chair of Didactics and Media in Education, Faculty of Education, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Lwowska Str. 1. , 87-100 Torun, Poland e-mail: [email protected] 1 International Journal of Psycho-Educational Sciences, Vol. 6, Issue (3), December –2017 Abstract: The article discusses the importance of interactive media in the teaching-learning process in the light of selected educational theories and research. The potential of social media to initiate and develop interactive learning communities was also demonstrated. Attention was drawn to the need for an appropriately prepared teacher, ready to creatively initiate educational situations involving interactive media and supporting student activities. Keywords: education, interaction, interactivity, information skills, social media Introduction In education, we can see increasingly evolving trends, manifested by the rapid development of interactive media and their use by a human being, taking into account his active participation. Narration has been transferred to an interactive environment in cyberspace or applications enabling exploration and multi-sensory learning in a fuller and more conscious way. Traditional tools do not appeal to today's students, who rely on modern technology. They have become insufficient to adequately meet their needs while stimulating their thinking (Kwiatkowska, 2013, pp. 256-259). We are witnessing educational and socio- cultural changes with a focus on learning from digital resources, the implementation of education programs in various forms, the creation of interactive environments for the education of different groups of people, and the development of learning communities. Due to the new needs and expectations, educational practitioners are increasingly eager to seek inspiration in theories of education, media education, and even cognitive science, propagating the ideas of active cognition, experimentation, experiential learning, mutual communication and their cognitive role in knowledge creation (e.g. J. Dewey, E. Claparede, J. Piaget, L. Wygotski, J. Bruner et al.). The right foundation for the ideas discussed here may be the concept of symbolic interactionism which is based on reciprocal human communication with symbols, and its effectiveness is conditioned by the ability to reconcile their meaning and sense (cf. Sipińska, in: Pilch 2003, pp. 404-412). There are two main assumptions here, namely: 1) the reciprocal action takes place with a variety of verbal symbols, language, non-verbal symbols, signs, sounds; 2) the individual is not only an imitator, but also a creator; he creates actions, is aware of himself, makes choices, makes decisions, is capable of self-reflection and self-evaluation (Ibid., p. 411). Nowadays, people both in the real and virtual world communicate with a recognized canon of symbols, expand it, interact with each other, read the message, and thus create its next meaning. The theory of symbolic interactionism can be used to explain and describe the problem of interactive media potential and its role in education. Interactive Media in the Light of Selected Theories and Research The term interactive media has been a very trendy and meaningful concept for a long time (Majewska, 2015). Interactivity, in the terms adopted here, means the potential of technical devices for maintaining a human-digital relationship with the required aspect of participation and interaction2. In turn, the concept of interaction in the teaching process itself is understood as "the kind of interaction between a teacher-educator and a student or a group 2 Understanding is reflected in literature in various ways, cf. Z. Wałaszewski, Interaktywność gier komputerowych, [in:] Nowe media w komunikacji społecznej w XX wieku, ed. Maryla Hopfinger, Oficyna Naukowa, Warszawa 2002, p. 404; interactivity is also understood more precisely as "the relation with the subject of attention, in which it is shaped as an object of perception of an extended meaning - together with the process of interaction" (G. Karwasz, J. Kruk, 2012, p. 17). In the context of communication - interaction is accepted as the negotiation of meanings (cf. S. Szykowna, 2008, p. 35). 2 International Journal of Psycho-Educational Sciences, Vol. 6, Issue (3), December –2017 of learners" (Pilch, 2003, p. 398). The technological interaction is also mentioned which is related to the impact of technical means and innovative communication methods (Wieczorkowski, as cited in: Pilch 2003, p. 400). In information technology interaction means "the mode of operation consisting in alternating exchange of information between the user and the computer - the user issues commands to the computer, whose effects can be monitored and used to make further decisions" (Ibid, p. 399). Human interaction with the computer becomes a key mechanism for acquiring knowledge, education, furthering education, developing interests and passions, and realizing the idea of lifelong education. The long-term empirical research on the use of media and digital technologies has confirmed the need to use activation methods with a high level of interaction (L. Leja, W. Strykowski, B. Siemieniecki, S. Juszczyk, M. Kozielska, K. Wenta, M. Furmanek, W Osmańska-Furmanek and others). The impact of connectivism on the perspective of computer education is also worth noting. Connectivism draws its assumptions from social constructivism and cognitivism. One of the methods described in the literature is MIT (minimally invasive teaching). It was developed by Sugata Mitra on the basis of the famous "Hole in the Wall" experiment. The researcher believes that effective teaching requires social interaction and problem-based teaching. The stages of acquiring IT competencies are as follows: 1. one child tests the GUI (graphical user interface), then the other children watch his random discoveries; 2. the children repeat the discovered functions; 3. the other children show their own discoveries; 4. all children repeat their discoveries and describe them based on their own experience, 5. children will remember the discovered procedure, which increases the effectiveness of their learning (Mitra, 2000). Mitra emphasizes that effective learning requires the proper selection of sources and minimal guidance given by the teacher only when the students stop and repeat the same activities without seeing a solution. But the teacher's hints open up only a certain possibility, and are not a final solution to the problem (Mitra, 2000). This model has much to do with the theory of social learning by Albert Bandura. In the literature, the following experiment is known: the children were divided into experimental and control groups. In the experimental group, the children observed a model who used different objects to beat a doll. In the second group, the model showed no aggression towards the doll. As a result, the children in the control group did not pay attention to the sharp objects, they played with the doll, but in the experimental group children not only beat the doll in the manner of the model, but also themselves invented further aggressive behavior with the use of these objects (description of the experiment on page: Youtube). As a result of his research, the author emphasized that the process of acquiring knowledge requires activation of attention, which should be directed to the subject or activity. This interaction can be described as cognitive. It occurs between a human being and the surrounding environment. Thus, effective education requires a well-designed environment for relation, interaction and dialogue (Forster, 2007). Interactivity should not be limited in an educational context to clicking a mouse button, reading a text, or viewing images. There are various variants of interaction, differing in the degree of user control over the outcome of the operation, as well as the degree of involvement, modality of the response, task type, software type and complexity of the project (cf. Szykowna, 2008, pp. 30-31). We can also talk about the complexity of interaction because of its duration: current / synchronous - immediate interaction - when a teacher and student perform a task together or use the same program, e.g. videoconferencing systems, multimedia 3 International Journal of Psycho-Educational Sciences, Vol. 6, Issue (3), December –2017 systems; delayed / asynchronous interaction - checking tasks, e-mails, etc. (Wieczorkowski, as cited in: Pilch, 2003, p. 400). Let's use here the example of studies focused on the activity of learners who have the opportunity to participate in the project while exercising control over it and taking responsibility for the result. The teacher, in this case, is limited to the role of the initiator and moderator of the creation of the work, raises questions and signals possible problems,